Magnesium glycinate vs threonate — which is better for sleep?

Seller pages frame this as "glycinate for the body, threonate for deep sleep." The expert data is more honest: no tracked expert singles out threonate as a sleep form. For sleep specifically, glycinate is the form that comes up — Rhonda Patrick recommends glycinate (or malate) for bioavailability, and magnesium's calming role works through muscle relaxation and GABA activity.

The nuance experts add that sellers omit: magnesium threonate contains very little elemental magnesium. Patrick is explicit that it "shouldn't be included as contributing to your recommended daily allowance" — she positions threonate as a brain/cognitive form (studied for raising brain magnesium), not a sleep one. So if you take threonate for cognition, you still need a separate daily magnesium source.

Huberman includes magnesium (threonate or glycinate) in his well-known sleep cocktail alongside L-theanine and apigenin — magnesium for relaxation, theanine for calming without sedation, apigenin for reducing anxiety. Attia approaches forms from an absorption angle rather than sleep: he favors carbonate for fullest absorption and notes glycinate, citrate, and oxide can loosen the bowel. Hyman pairs theanine with magnesium for sleep support.

Practical read: start with glycinate for sleep (well-absorbed, gentle, relaxation-focused). Add threonate only if cognitive recovery is the goal — and don't count it toward your daily magnesium.